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Chad Early Warning Brief:



Gross Human Rights Violations Warning

 

Condensed Brief:

 

Warning: Internal displacement and sporadic violence. Refugee flows and militia attacks from Darfur (Sudan) into eastern Chad have destabilised Chad and resulted in violence and an increased risk of gross human rights violations.

Full Brief:

 

1. Background

Chad is a relatively large (approximately 1.2 million km2 and 10 million people), arid, and impoverished country located between the Sahara and Sahel deserts in north Africa. It is in the unfortunate position of being virtually surrounded by conflict and unstable states on all sides. This has led to almost perpetual war in Chad in the post-colonial period. These wars have included both international and civil wars.

Chad bears many similarities to its neighbour to the east – Sudan. Like Sudan, Chad may be roughly divided into two different regions. Northern Chad is predominately “Arab” and Muslim, while the south is “African” and Christian or Animist. Moreover, many of the ethnic groups found in Sudan are also found in Chad, for example the Zaghawa. Generally speaking the “Arabs” are nomadic while the “Africans” are farmers.

This dichotomy has been the central axis on which politics and violent conflict (both internal and international) has turned. Chad was once a part of the vast French colonial holdings spanning west and north Africa. Since its independence in 1960, Chad has had a series of rebellions and regime succession has almost always been through force. The first President (Ngarte Tombalbaye) was a Christian “African” from the south and 1969 an Arab/Muslim insurrection began to seek the overthrow of his government. However, in 1975 Tombalbaye was ousted in a coup led by Felix Malloum, an animist southerner who persecuted Christians and Muslims in Chad.

The war in the north continued unabated and four years later Malloum was displaced in yet another coup by Goukouki Oueddei, a northerner backed by the Libyans. At this point, Ouddei’s main adversary was Hissan Habre. In 1982 Habre seized the capital N’Djamena with French backing. Oueddei fled to the north, set up a rival government, and fought a guerilla war. Finally, in 1990 Habre was overthrown by the Libyan-backed northerner Idriss Deby.

In 1996 Deby won Chad’s first elections but two years later another conflict began in the north led by Youssouf Togoimi (Deby’s former defence minister). In 2002 a peace deal was successfully reached and fighting abated. Deby changed the constitution in 2005 allowing him to run for a third term. This had the effect of solidifying opposition to the regime and led to a resurgence of fighting. Elections the following year were boycotted by opposition groups who argued that they were not fair.

Chad has always had complicated relations with its neighbours. Chad and Libya have long disputed the Aozou strip (a parcel of land located in northern Chad) and this has resulted in sustained tensions and Libyan armed incursions. Chad’s close proximity to Sudan and its close cultural ties have meant that the fates of these two states are intertwined. The region spanning eastern Chad, Darfur (Sudan), and the northern parts of the Central African Republic (CAR) is a conflict zone. Many of the rebels in Darfur are from the Zaghawa ethnic group – the same group as Chadian president Idriss Deby. Sudan has accused Deby of aiding the rebels in Darfur. In the meanwhile, Chad alleges (correctly it seems) that Sudanese-backed Janjawiid militias are crossing the border and attacking the approximately 200 000 Darfuri refugees in eastern Chad. The rebels in Chad also based themselves in Darfur before crossing the border to begin their insurrection. Furthermore, Chad is planning to send troops to the CAR to fight rebels, rebels that the CAR alleges are supported by Sudan.

The following map illustrates the regional dynamics that are contributing to the heightened risk of gross human rights violations in Chad:

Figure 1.1: Regional Relations and Conflict in North-Central Africa

1. Chad says sudan government-backed militias are attacking villagers in Chad.  Some 200 000 Darfur refugees are also in Chad.
2. Sudan accuses Chad of backing the Darfur rebels.
3. Chad says it will send troops to help the CAR fight the rebels.
4. CAR says Sudan backs rebels who have seized towns in CAR.
Source: BBC News.1

The combination of these factors: ethnic conflict and tensions in Chad, a massive influx of refuges from Darfur, and the emergence of the Janjawiid as a new threat in Chad leads to a high potential for gross human rights violations in the near-term.

2. Current Situation

The security situation in eastern Chad appears to be rapidly deteriorating. What began as Janjawiid attacks on Darfuri refugees now appears to have developed into Janjawiid attacks on citizens of Chad, and even ethnic massacres of Chadians by other Chadians. The modus operandi of these Janjawiid attacks is very similar to Darfur: militiamen on horseback or camels attacking “African” civilians. It is too early to estimate exactly how many have been killed, but the violence has contributed to the now more than 120 000 internally-displaced persons in Chad.>2 There is fear that eventually the conditions in Chad will reach the magnitude of the gross human rights violations now occurring in Darfur. Furthermore, there is also the potential that the violence could spread to the Central African Republic, as Chad and Sudan already support opposing sides in the internal conflict there.

The economy in Chad is improving as it enjoys a boom from the tapping of its oil resources but Chad’s prosperity is constrained by endemic corruption and political instability. This newfound wealth may be a conflict-contributing factor if it is funnelled towards armed groups. Chad is already housing refugees from both Sudan and the CAR and any long-term solution to the problems in Chad is not possible with a resolution of the conflicts in neighbouring states.

3. State of Response

The international community is just now becoming aware of the situation in Chad. There have been some early proposals to deploy peacekeepers to eastern Chad but the Chadian government will only allow police forces and not armed troops on its territory. The UN Security Council supported proposals for a force of 11 000 troops to protect the refugees and stabilise eastern Chad.

References and Further Reading

BBC News. “Behind Chad’s rebel alliance.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4904922.stm. Accessed March 17, 2007.

___. “Country profile: Chad.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1068700.stm. Accessed March 18, 2007.

___. “Darfur conflict zones map.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6213202.stm#2. Accessed March 17, 2007.

Brogan, Patrick. The Fighting Never Stopped. New York: Vintage Books, 1990.

Central Intelligence Agency. “CIA World Factbook – Chad.” https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cd.html. Accessed March 14, 2007.

Guerin, Orla. “Shadow of Darfur’s killers follows refugees into wilderness of Chad.” The Observer. March 4, 2007. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2026066,00.html

International Network of Action Against Hunger. “Serious humanitarian crisis threatens tens of thousands of displaced people.” http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EKOI-6ZC3E5?OpenDocument&rc=1&cc=tcd. March 15, 2007.

End Notes

1 BBC News, “Darfur conflict zones map,” accessed March 17, 2007.

2 International Network of Action Against Hunger, “Serious humanitarian crisis threatens tens of thousands of displaced people,” . March 15, 2007.

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